Once I read a book in which someone had a magnet on his fridge with the quote
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."
I can't remember the title of the book or the writer, but that text always stayed with me. It is such a strong message if you're feeling overwhelmed.
But there are things I think are wrong with Stoicism. I do understand what Seneca meant when he said that he pitied the people who never experienced hardship, and I do agree that you do need some to develop character, but too much will worsen the negative reactions individuals have on certain circumstances. You also need anger, fear and other unfavourable emotions to act swiftly when there is a threat. Unlearning this while making it a habit to take the time to decide to consider what to do or feel might make a difference you don't want.
Stoicism in my opinion only works positively in a scholarly environment, or when you're affected by happenings you should not be influenced by. And even then, trying to control, and succeeding to control your emotional reactions might suck the life out of the experiences you have while reading a book or listening to music.
Anyway, my opinion might be influenced by my own failure to moderate my emotions. I cried while watching a movie in public a while ago. It was not pleasant.
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Jonathan, I am hoping you're going to write more for CL, this was a great read.
Beautiful breakdown of stoicism. In my practice, I am a big fan of using a therapeutic model called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which operates based on a lot of the same basic truths and observations of mankind. It looks a lot like ancient stoicism put into therapeutic practice in parts of the process (also one of the few therapeutic models to be heavily researched, empirically based, & quite successful treating many issues which should affirm your suggestion of it being quite useful).
Side note: Isn’t it interesting that more & more people seem to be turning back to ancient truths and understandings of the world to navigate this very strange moment we’re experiencing?
I really enjoyed this article! I am often amazed by how culturally widespread the idea of stoicism really is. For exemple chapter 3, verse 19 of the Bhagavad Gita: "Therefore, giving up attachment, perform actions as a matter of duty because by working without being attached to the fruits, one attains the Supreme." The house I was in at my high school was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, and hence our motto was "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." Or in other words: "Not the mountain is too large, but the mountaineer". ;-)
Once I read a book in which someone had a magnet on his fridge with the quote
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference."
I can't remember the title of the book or the writer, but that text always stayed with me. It is such a strong message if you're feeling overwhelmed.
But there are things I think are wrong with Stoicism. I do understand what Seneca meant when he said that he pitied the people who never experienced hardship, and I do agree that you do need some to develop character, but too much will worsen the negative reactions individuals have on certain circumstances. You also need anger, fear and other unfavourable emotions to act swiftly when there is a threat. Unlearning this while making it a habit to take the time to decide to consider what to do or feel might make a difference you don't want.
Stoicism in my opinion only works positively in a scholarly environment, or when you're affected by happenings you should not be influenced by. And even then, trying to control, and succeeding to control your emotional reactions might suck the life out of the experiences you have while reading a book or listening to music.
Anyway, my opinion might be influenced by my own failure to moderate my emotions. I cried while watching a movie in public a while ago. It was not pleasant.
-
Jonathan, I am hoping you're going to write more for CL, this was a great read.
This is a wonderful article. Thank you so much for sharing.
Beautiful breakdown of stoicism. In my practice, I am a big fan of using a therapeutic model called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy which operates based on a lot of the same basic truths and observations of mankind. It looks a lot like ancient stoicism put into therapeutic practice in parts of the process (also one of the few therapeutic models to be heavily researched, empirically based, & quite successful treating many issues which should affirm your suggestion of it being quite useful).
Side note: Isn’t it interesting that more & more people seem to be turning back to ancient truths and understandings of the world to navigate this very strange moment we’re experiencing?
I really enjoyed this article! I am often amazed by how culturally widespread the idea of stoicism really is. For exemple chapter 3, verse 19 of the Bhagavad Gita: "Therefore, giving up attachment, perform actions as a matter of duty because by working without being attached to the fruits, one attains the Supreme." The house I was in at my high school was named after Sir Edmund Hillary, and hence our motto was "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." Or in other words: "Not the mountain is too large, but the mountaineer". ;-)